WKU Baseball dropped its eighth straight game in a blowout 8-1 loss to Marshall Saturday afternoon.

The Thundering Herd got off to a hot start, carrying over momentum from Friday’s victory and never looked back. WKU’s pitching struggled, and the bats did not get anything going.

“We just didn’t play really well today,” WKU head coach John Pawlowski said. “Offensively, having two hits today, [we] didn’t get a lot of offense going. And they [Marshall] did a great job.”

The Hilltoppers now sit with a 13-25 overall record and a 4-13 record in conference play while Marshall sits at 18-21-1 on the year and 7-10 in the conference. 

WKU freshman Cooper Hellman went only three innings and allowed five runs, three of which were earned, on two hits and three walks. Marshall got another dominant starting pitcher performance from sophomore Patrick Copen. Copen went six scoreless innings, allowing only one hit and striking out eight.

The Hilltoppers had a very forgettable day at the plate as the squad only picked up two hits. The Thundering Herd, on the other hand, had a great day. Senior Jordon Billups led Marshall’s offense with two hits, including a home run and three RBIs.

The Thundering Herd got off to a quick start in the top of the first as junior Kyle Schaefer followed a one-out double with a two-out RBI single to make it 1-0. Copen faced the minimum number of batters in the bottom of the second. Junior Matthew Meyer singled but was caught stealing.

Hellman retired Marshall in order in the top of the second and recorded his first strikeout of the day. The Hilltoppers failed to put anyone on base in the bottom of the second.

Marshall extended its lead to 3-0 in the top of the third. The Herd scored both runs on a fielding error and a passed ball. The Hilltoppers didn’t respond in the bottom of the third with Copen striking out the side.

The Herd brought their lead to 5-0 in the top of the fourth on a couple of walks that were followed by an RBI single and a sacrifice bunt. Copen walked two men in the bottom of the fourth but stranded them on base.

Marshall’s bats continued to produce in the top of the fifth, taking an 8-0 lead. Billups followed two walks with a three-run homer. WKU failed to get anything going again in the bottom of the fifth despite a hit by pitch.

The Hilltoppers retired the Thundering Herd in order in the top of the sixth before WKU failed to capitalize on a walk by Copen in the bottom of the sixth.

The Thundering Herd got their fifth and sixth hit of the day on a couple two-out singles in the top of the seventh but failed to score. The Hilltoppers couldn’t muster anything in the bottom of the frame, going down in order.

Both teams failed to get anything going in the eighth inning despite the Hilltoppers putting men on with a walk and an error.

Marshall failed to score in the top of the ninth. The Hilltoppers tallied their first run of the day on an RBI double by redshirt sophomore Ty Crittenberger in the ninth but failed to get anything else going, handing Marshall an 8-1 victory.

“This game is very humbling,” Pawlowski said. “Sometimes we just haven’t had the results that we wanted, but they’ll continue to work hard and come back tomorrow ready to play.”

Up next, the Hilltoppers will look to avoid the sweep Sunday in the final game of the three-game series against Marshall. The programs will square off at Nick Denes Field at 1 p.m. CT.

Baseball Reporter Camden Bush can be reached at [email protected].